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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. vault — a safe
  7. degree — temperature
  8. kick — in football
  9. pop — to visit
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mate — a partner
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. degree — from a university
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mate — a friend
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mate — to breed
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. vault — in gymnastics

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com